Beans, generally, doesn’t do justice to one’s guts. This is perhaps one truth we all know, but feel extremely embarrassed to talk about. Nevertheless, gas is in more ways than one, a product of what a person has eaten, worse if they have eaten beans.
When the gassing was first reported in Chigayo, Chikola, and Extension areas of Chingola; politicians did not take the people’s concerns seriously. Chingolans had the evidence that a group of thugs armed with machetes where gassing homes and after the occupants pass out, or become unconscious, these thugs would then break into homes and do the unthinkable. As these allegations were surfacing, the President of the Republic was busy in Kitwe entertaining or being entertained by little criminal elements who have now been associated with gassing. The President had frequented the Copperbelt and was attending dinners eating with these “commanders”. It comes as no surprise that one of these “commanders” is now being connected with the gassing. The people of Chingola only wish that their political leaders took them seriously.
It is a very common thread of human experience, that it is difficult to connect a person to any particular gas, however. The Ushis have a saying for this – tacipala wacinyele. Of course, the crudeness of both the Ushi and the Bemba languages can be a put off sometimes. But in circumstances where lives are at stake, we must sacrifice our respectability in order to dive into ancient sayings that may help us resolve problems that could potentially threaten our existence. Tensel iyo, malumbo! This saying simply means that when there is a lot of gassing going on, you cannot pin-point who among many is responsible for the gas, unless there is compelling evidence that they are the ones who finished that pot of chilemba. There are a few hints though that can make us have an idea.
Beans, has in our culture come to signify, lies. And so, you can tell the one who is responsible for the gassing, by the lies they tell. People lie to us so much that their lies are a clear testament of their guilty; or their willful disregard for the truth.
You can know the one responsible for gassing by their silence. We all know though that sometimes, the most vocal, could in fact be the one responsible for spoiling the air. But if you are, let us say, President of a Republic, you must say something if there is a lot of gassing going around. You cannot be silent because silence, may be taken as the sign that there is something you are trying to hide. So many Zambians have been killed by their fellow Zambians on mere suspicion that they are the ones who gassed communities. The President, however, has remained mute on this issue. Of course, he has published several incoherent statements on his favourite media – Facebook. But what he has not done is to visit the victims or mourn with those that are mourning. No single word has the President uttered to try and comfort the hearts and minds of the victims of mob injustice – a miner, a farmer, a businessman, or a politician – they have all been victims. But anyway, tacipala.
For a moment though, you may be tempted to think that the gassing issue has only affected the President through his complete lack of humility and empathy to the victims. But when you bring in both Mr Kampyongo and Ms Siliya, you suddenly realise the beans may have been “ka blangetti”. There is just no way government ministers will go on record trying to justify what both Kampyongo and Siliya are saying. These, ladies and gentlemen, may have had a lot of beans to eat which has made them become so irrational as to have opinions that are gassing the people. In Zambia, both the law and common sense impose a duty upon police officers to use their firearms reasonably. There is no law in Zambia that justifies use of live ammunition just because the police have live ammunition. The Zambia Police cannot be using live ammunition on rioting civilians. The policy of “shoot to kill” is a sign that both the Commander-in-Chief, and his acolytes have failed to rule the nation and when you fail to rule, or you are too weak, you resort to guns and bombs thrown by others on your behalf. This is exactly what happened in the past few weeks and months – a leadership with no sense of grace and patriotism, now has decided to justify violence as a way to end violence and mayhem. We must appeal to both Kampyongo and Siliya to stop justifying police use of live bullets during protests. Zambia has so many teargas and rubber bullets, why should they be using live ammunition at protesters?
Kampyongo now claims that those that have died from police bullets are “collateral damage”. He is undoubtedly under the influence of collateral gasses, for there is no minister in their right mind that would characterise the killing of a little boy Mugala, as “collateral damage”. What sort of beans is this? President Lungu, Honourable Kampyongo, and the entire police infrastructure in the country must sympathise with the dead, and must not be mocking the dead. Mugala had a great life ahead of him. It was cut short by a stray bullet fired from a gun whose commander lacks the heart for the people. This commander is busy anointing several tiny jerabo commanders in Chingola and has failed to control his constitutionally given troops. Shoot to kill, is what we understand he has told the police to do; and indeed, they are shooting, and they are killing. At this rate, the nation will be witnessing an unprecedented spilling of blood.
The people of Zambia are emerging stronger after this episode of gassing. The beans is lessening by the day; because instead of beans, the Zambians are cooking meals of truth and peace. Their only prayer at the moment is that where there was gas, be replaced with fresh air so that the people of Zambia can move freely in their country and enjoy the warmth of their country.
The author Elias Munshya can be reached at elias@munshyalaw.com.